No resolution reached in hospital pay row
THE strike by staff at Pinetown’s Life The Crompton Hospital has entered its seventh day.
A week ago, staff embarked on protest action when talks between their union, the National Health Education and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) and hospital management reached a deadlock. Talks were over a pay increase for staff.
Speaking on behalf of protesting staff, shop steward Sindiso Nyangule said the union had been involved in negotiations with management from September 15 and reached a stalemate. Last Friday, staff began protesting outside the hospital.
“Initially, we had wanted a 15% increment and they (hospital management) said no. We continued negotiating and finally settled on 8.5%. They are offering a pay increase of 6.2% and we do not want that,” Nyangule said.
A meeting was held last week, where management refused to budge on their offer.
Nyangule claimed that during their strike, members were insulted by other members of staff.
“We are standing here protesting, and our members are being sworn at. Some are even receiving threatening messa- ges via SMS and WhatsApp. They are being told that if they continue to protest, they will be fired,” he alleged.
Another staff member, who declined to be named, said they could not agree to an increase of 6.2% because it was too little.
“We have children who need uniforms, and bills to pay. Taxi fare increases and we have to pay for that. We can barely afford to buy what we need and live with what they are offering,” she said.
Apart from the pay increase, workers claim that when they lodge grievances with management, they are not taken seriously. They claim that they are told to follow the necessary protocol to lodge complaints. However, those grievances are neither discussed nor remedied.
Leanne Nyiri, KwaZuluNatal Life regional marketing manager, said they had met union representatives in a bid to end the strike, but a resolution had not yet been reached. She added that they would continue to engage with the union to settle the dispute.
“Operations at Life The Crompton Hospital have not been disrupted by the industrial action, and our patients have continued to receive uninterrupted quality care throughout this period. Additional security has been deployed.”